Chautaugua Meadow – Boulder, Colorado (photo: Jeff Turner) The United States is a country of diverse landscapes, and while relatively young as a nation, full of historical attractions. If you live outside the USA and are thinking of visiting on your next vacation, there’s plenty of places to choose from. The large cities…

Casting my fly out, knee-deep in the chilly waters of the Poudre River, surrounded by the rugged landscape west of Fort Collins, Colorado I was having a moment of reflection. I wasn’t carving down a mountain in 12″ of fresh powder as I’d dreamed of as a kid, but instead enjoying nature’s serenity as a 40-year old man. As a young adult, I was an avid reader of National Geographic Adventure and recall advertisements for fly fishing. The scenic images of a man in a river appealed to me amidst the magazine’s stories of mountaineering …

Backpacking in Thailand (photo: David Lee) Looking your best during a trip can be especially tricky and at the same time important. Traveling involves lots of unexpected situations and decisions made in a hurry. And while some may find packing enjoyable, others hate it. It takes a lot of time, a lot of guessing and in the end, you may find you’ve still brought all the wrong things. To make your travels, and especially your packing, easier here are five tips to help you stay stunning while …

Kuwait City skyline (photo: Francisco Anzola) Are you planning to visit or move to Kuwait soon? This tiny country in the Middle East has its own unique culture, which you’ll want to become familiar with before applying for a Kuwait online visa and starting your journey. Here are some of the things to know before making your trip to Kuwait, from the style of dress …

Online in Costa Brava, Spain (photo: David Lee) The internet has made travel much easier on several fronts: it’s easy to compare lodging prices, book tickets, and navigate foreign cities. And yet even as we seek the allure of the foreign, it can be hard to give up the convenience of our familiar online environments. Despite the web being world-wide, the digital landscape can vary significantly across countries. There are blocked websites, pages in a foreign script, and the never-ending carousel of public networks in airports, cafes, and hotels—each one making vague claims of what it …

Mount Rinjani, Indonesia (photo: Trekking Rinjani) It’s no secret that Australians like to travel. Study results from Wotif-Travel released in late 2016 show that they tend to travel internationally more often staying in-country. So, when they travel abroad, they seek adventure, cultural experiences, and unique dining opportunities. Perhaps this describes your travel style, too. Regardless of the thrill of choice, traveling Aussies budget…

Hiking to the cave entrance After experiencing Chiapas, I continued to Tabasco, the Mexican state that has pretty much nothing to do with the famous American hot sauce of the same name. What I found surprised me. Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, may be Mexico’s reigning Capital of Adventure… but Villahermosa, Tabasco is no snooze, either! I was psyched to learn that within an hour’s drive of Tabasco’s capital, adventure-hungry travelers could be deep in nature: hiking, rappelling, mountain…

Promenade (photo: Xiquinho Silva) Most travelers don’t know what to expect from Tel Aviv – and many are taken by surprise with its vibrant energy and creativity. Since it is a major technological and business hub in the region, there are many flights to Tel Aviv from anywhere in the world. Travellers go to Tel Aviv because it lies at the heart of Israel’s start-up industry known as Silicon Wadi and it is also where the largest diamond trading center in the …

Entrance to Odell Brewing Co. Fresh from my night alone in a wilderness yurt, I made the scenic two-hour drive east from State Forest State Park to Fort Collins, the craft beer capital of Colorado. The second hour of the drive on Route 14 was fun as the highway swerved through the winding Poudre Canyon, along the Poudre River, where I would be going fly fishing the following day. I checked into a private room at the charming and historical Fernweh Inn & Hostel; a former …

Thinking about applying for an ESL job in China? Already got an offer for a teaching contract? Don’t forget to check the details. While it’s certainly an exciting time to be teaching overseas, it pays to check out all the aspects before heading to the airport. You should read your contract carefully before accepting. An ESL contract is much like any other legal contract that you’ll need to take seriously. It’s signed…

Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro (photo: Mike Vondran) Are you thinking about a trip to Brazil in the near future? Well, you’re in for quite an adventure because there are truly tons of exciting things to do there to go along with the picturesque scenery. Even though Brazil is the largest country in South America, there are many…

It’s not an understatement to say starting this travel blog 10 years ago changed my life in incredible and unimaginable ways. What began as a way to share my experience planning and embarking on a one-year dream trip around the world turned into a new career, multiple businesses, living abroad in Colombia, and visiting 60+ countries. Along the way, I’ve had the opportunity to work with amazing…

What do you refuse to leave home without? (Credit: Jaymantri) There’s no denying that packing tips have their uses. Although they can be dull to read at times, they can be handy – particularly if you’re traveling to a destination you know next to nothing about. Or if you have to dress a certain way, which I did when I spent …

Cafe in New Orleans In the 10 years since I began blogging, I’ve experimented with all sorts of approaches to internet connectivity to ensure I can update Go Backpacking and social media from the road. Braving China’s smoky internet cafes, a $1,000 mobile data bill from a week’s worth of roaming charges in Rwanda, and having to buy new SIM cards when arriving in new countries are just a few of the frustrations that spring to mind. That’s why …